Electric clock.



2 SHEETS-sum 1.

PATENTED/DEO. 15; 1903.

INVENTOR V. HIMMER, JR. ELECTRIC CLOCK. APPLICATION FILED OUT 9 1902 NO MODEL.

WITNESSES.

No. 747,305. PATENTED DEG. 15,1903. v. HIMMER, JR.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

, APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, 1902.

.I0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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'INVENTOR: & WITNESSES: 6 By Aflpgs, I

UNITED STATES Patented December 15, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

VITALIS I-IIMMER, JR, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC CLOCK COMPANY, A CORPORATION.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,305, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed October 9, 1902. Serial No. 126,872. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VITALIS HIMMER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide certain improvements especially useful in clocks in which the power of the driving means is generated by electricity and aims especially to provide means which insure certainty of operation until the exhaustion of the very last bit of current in the generator and which aims also to insure exactness of regulation and the use of a minimum quantity of current.

My invention aims also to provide certain features of improvement in detail, which will be hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating embodiments of my invention, Figures 1, 2, and 3 show in side elevation different positions of the driving and generating mechanism of a clock embodying my invention. Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 30f another mechanism embodying the invention.

The style of electric clock in which in the embodiments illustrated I have applied the improvements of my invention is a pendulum clock operated in the usual manner by any suitable driving means, such as a weight, and the power of such driving means is generatedthat is to say, the clock is wound up by an electrically operated mechanism such, for example, as the electromagnet shown. The driving means after operating for a certain interval sets in operation the generating mechanism by closing the circuit thereof, which then regenerates the power of the driving mechanism and is at the same time itself out out of operation, when the driving operation commences again. In order that the generating power shall be economized as much as possible, I provide that the circuitclosing terminals shall be operated from the oscillating anchor-shaft of the escapement, an arm on this shaft being rendered operative for the purpose of closing the circuit by the driving means at the end of its driving movement. None of the current is Referring now to the drawings, A indicates.

a driving-weight attached at one end to an arm B, which is loose on the main driving- .arbor O of the clock-train and which carries a pawl D, engaging a ratchet-wheel E, fixed on said driving-arbor. Thus as the weight falls the arm B swings downward and drives the clock. The mechanism for generating the power of the driving meansthat is to say, for lifting the weight Acomprises an electromagnet F, having an armature G connected to the weight A at the end opposite the arm B. The connection is preferably made by means of a balanced arm H, connected to the armature G and to the weight A and swinging with the armature. By arranging the electromagnet immediately above the clock-train the weight A can be made of considerable length and weight, so as to avoid the necessityof a long movement. As long a movement as can be obtained with an electromagnet, however, is secured by arranging the armature G so that it may swing freely past the poles J of the electromagnet when it is attracted. It is understood that the current is on for only an instant of time sufiicient to start the armature moving to its attracted position and continue until it is approximately at its half-way position, when the current is out off and the armature by its momentum and that of its connected parts swings beyond, so as to carry the weight to a very high position.

K L are terminals in the circuit of the electromagnet and are in the form of springs with their ends normally separated from each other and preferably adjustable by a screw L. The shaft of the escapement-anchor is shown at M and is provided with an arm N,

preferably balanced on both sides of the shaft and oscillating therewith, the arm carrying, preferably, a pin 0 near its end. In order to render the oscillating arm N operative to bring the terminals K and L together, a lever P is pivoted to the frame of the clock and bears at its outer end on the terminal K lightly, so as not to interfere with the normal disconnected position of the terminals, and has an arm Q attached at its lower end to the lever Pas, for example, by the pivotal connection shown-and arranged to be swung into the path of the oscillating pin 0 atthe end of a driving movement and to be swung out of said path as soon as the driving-weight has been raised a slight distance. This movement of the arm Q may be obtained either by the means shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 or by the alternative means shown in Figs. 4: and 5, or by various other mechanisms.

In the first embodiment referred to a bent lever R is pivoted to the frame of the clock,

. with a horizontal arm in the path of a pin S on the arm B and with a Vertical arm in position to operate the arm Q of the lever P. It is understood that the arm Q may be fixed to the lever P and swing with the latter about the pivot on the frame, or it may be sepa-' rately pivoted, as shown, to the lever P, which gives a more sensitive operation. The upper end of the lever B is swung to the left at the end of the downward movement of the weight and as the weight is lifted is swung in the opposite direction by means of a spring T or an equivalent retracting device. The arm Q of Fig. 1 is pivoted and overbalanced, so that as the lever B swings inward the arm Q also swings inward by its weight until its upper end is in the path of the pin 0, as explained. Preferably there is a certain amount of lost motion between the upper end of the lever B and the arm Q, and in order to prevent the latter from swinging too far inward a stop U is provided, pivoted to the frame and resting on the upper end of the lever B. The pivoted stop U has a shouldered end which ordinarily lies in a recess V in the side of the arm Q. As the lever R swings inward from the position of Fig. 1 the arm Q first bears against the end of the stop U. The further movement of R gradually lifts the stop U to a level with the recess V, when the arm Q drops quickly to its operative position, Fig. 3.

The construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is simpler, the upper end of the lever R being provided with a fork W, which engages a pin X on the arm Q, so as to throw the center of gravity of the arm to the right or to the left of its pivotal point and cause it to fall quickly to its extreme downward position.

The functions of the several parts of the device having been explained in detail, the operation of the entire mechanism will be clear. Starting from the wound-up position of Fig. 1, the weight A moves downward at a speed regulated by the escapement until the pin S strikes the end of the horizontal through the electromagnet F, which there upon attracts its armature G. The armature swings in a direction to lift the weight A, and as the latter moves upward, carrying with it the pin S, the spring T also turns the lever R toward the position of Figs. 1 and 4;. An intermediate position during the circuitbreaking movement is shown in Fig. 3. The entire winding movement is very quick, practically instantaneous. The arm Q is forced outward out of the path of the pin 0, and the spring-terminal K lifts itself out of contact with the terminal L. The separation of the terminals occurs almost immediately after the upward impulse is given to the weight. Consequently the current attracting the armature is cut 0% by the time the latter has reached its intermediate position and does not retard it swinging past such position, but leaves it free to swing nearly as far past the intermediate position as it was in the opposite direction at the end of the driving movement.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail certain mechanisms embodying my invention, yet it is not to be understood that the invention is limited to the particular details shown and described. Various modifications of the same in its details and in the combination and arrangement of the parts are possible to those skilled in the art without departure from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is- 1. In an electric clock, the combination of an escapement anchor-shaft, a drivingweight, an arm for operating the clock-train connected to one end of said weight, an electromagnet having an armature connected to the opposite end of said weight, a lever arranged when moved from its normal position to close the circuit of said electromagnet, an arm connected at one end to said lever, an oscillating arm carried upon the escapementanchor shaft, and means for swinging said lever-arm into and out of the path of said oscillating arm to cause the same to move said lever from its normal position at the end of a driving movement of said weight.

2. In an electric clock, the combination of an escapement, anchor-shaft, a driving means, electrically-operated mechanism for generating the power of said driving means, a pair of terminals in the circuit of said mechanism, an oscillating arm carried upon the escapement anchor-shaft, a lever arranged when moved from its normal position to close the circuit through said terminals,

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an arm connected to said lever, and a forked I In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed lever arranged to be operated at the end of a my name in the presence of two subscribing driving movement of said driving means to witnesses.

swing said lever-arm into the path of said VITALIS HIMMER, JR. 5 oscillating anchor-shaft arm to cause the Witnesses:

same to move said circuit-closing lever from DOMINGO A. USINA,

its normal position. THEO. T. SNELL. 

